Staff


- 'Hands on' treatment
- Posture and fitness gym sessions
- Posture pilates classes
- TMJ
- Continuing education courses
(for health professionals, fitness
instructors and personal trainers)
- Posture assessment
- Workplace evaluations
- Real Time Ultrasound Imaging
- Pregnancy related pain
- Post-pregnancy recovery
- Sports performance enhancement

- Soft tissue techniques (e.g. massage)
- Muscle energy techniques
- McKenzie, Maitland or Mulligan
mobilisation techniques
- Acupuncture
- Trigger point therapy
- Craniosacral therapy
- Traction
- Taping to retrain muscles
- Taping to reduce pain
- Real Time Ultrasound retraining
- Pelvic floor exercise prescription
- Core Stability retraining
We explain the pain
Our treatment combines a holistic and science based approach. We believe it is very important for you to understand the anatomical reason for your pain, where this is possible. We not only treat your symptoms, we also try to understand how or why your pain developed in the first place.
Most muscle or joint pains can be treated by physiotherapy. Neck and lower back pain, jaw pain and headaches, shoulder and knee pain and work-related and sports-related injuries are our expertise.
We consider a home exercise program to be one of the most important aspects of a speedy recovery - no matter what your age, pain or injury.
Helping you get fit
All our physiotherapists are qualified to evaluate your current fitness program and to modify or improve it to meet your postural or sporting requirements.
We run fitness classes in our clinic on most days. Please refer to our classes section.
We have recently produced a DVD on the neck, shoulder and knee stretching, strengthening and stability exercises, which we prescribe and use in our classes. Please refer to our products section.

Francine St George
MSc (Med) BSc (NSW) PGD Physio PGD Sport Sc MAPA.
Physiotherapist/Sports Scientist
Francine is the clinic founder and is well known throughout Australia for her innovative ideas and integrative approach to injury and pain management.
She is also the founder of Physiotherapy Coaching Academy Australia.
She combines her voluntary public relations activities with research, lecturing and treating at the clinic. Her key expertise is setting up exercise programmes to permit you to learn how to ease your pain when hands-on treatment is no longer working.
Focus on elite athletes
Francine has worked and travelled with a number of elite sporting teams, such as the Australian University hockey team and the Australian Universities rugby team. Over the last twenty years, she has also worked at a number of National and International sporting meets, including The Commonwealth Games in Brisbane and the World University Games (both in Canada and in Japan).
Her Masters degree (from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney) reflects her particular interest in elite athletes. For her thesis, she researched an area of particular interest, Investigation of the Lumbar Disc of the Elite Athlete using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Books, DVDs and exercise prescription pads
Francine and her physio colleagues have released the Posture Pilates DVD Series. Posture pilates combines elements of yoga, clinical pilates and physiotherapy stability exercises. The key focus of these exercises is to improve posture, strength and flexibility. Her latest DVD is Back & Hip Stability.
Francine has written three books: The Muscle Fitness Book (Published by Simon and Schuster 3rd ed. 1998); The Stretching Handbook (Published by Simon and Schuster 3rd ed. 1998); and Bodyworks (ABC publishers 1999). Bodyworks provides answers to the questions she was most frequently asked on the regular national radio segment.
Francine has also developed exercise prescription pads for use by physiotherapists (the Bodyworks and Rehabilitation series). They clearly illustrate a number of neck and back stretches, strengthening and stability exercises. They also show some of the most commonly taught stability exercises using the gym ball.
Courses
Francine has been giving courses for health professionals and the general public since 1982. Her most popular course, conducted for physiotherapists, is called Posture, Soft Tissue and Exercise, consisting of four workshops that can be done as a series or individually to suit learning needs. Please visit www.physiocoachingacademy.com for details.
Surfing
Although passionate about her work, Francine tries not to miss a daily surf or swim at one of Sydney's fabulous beaches.
Penny Elliott
M.H.Sc.(Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy) B. App.Sc (Phty) MAPA
Physiotherapist
penny@cyberphys.com
Penny is senior associate of the Physiotherapy Posture and Fitness Clinic and combines her clinical work with lecturing and taking classes. Penny has recently completed her Masters in Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy. She teaches her Pilates trainers and the St George Courses both in Australia and overseas.
Penny also conducts regular workshops for Pilates Instructors and Massage Therapists.
With a personal background in dance, Penny's interest has evolved in movement analysis and postural assessment. She uses this expertise in designing individual exercise programs, regardless of your fitness level.
Penny has worked with a variety of sports people at Sydney University's Sports Clinic including the Sydney University Rugby team, Olympic level rowers, runners and triathletes. She continues to conduct her ever popular postural fitness class at the university.
Penny's other areas of interest include lower limb analysis and biomechanical assessment, which has arisen from her work making orthotics with a well known Sydney podiatry group.
As well, teaching posture at the University of Sydney's School of Dentistry has sparked her interest in treating TMJ (temporomandibular disorders), or jaw pain.
Penny's hands on and exercise based approach to treatment means that patients can really understand their problem and take an active part in managing their own health and fitness.
When not in clinic, Penny will be found in all manner of activities to keep fit including dancing, swimming, jogging, yoga - and, her interest of the moment, Kung Fu.
Kathryn Cowen
B.App.Sc.(Phty) MAPA
Physiotherapist
kathryn@cyberphys.com
Kathryn Cowen is a physiotherapist with 12 years experience, 10 of those years in private practice at the Physiotherapy Posture and Fitness Clinic in Randwick, NSW. She has a wholistic approach to her practice, combining acupuncture, massage, posture assessment, yoga and pilates.
Her overall aim is to support, encourage, educate and motivate her patients to gain and then maintain a healthy body. It is a ‘hands- on’ active and exercise based approach to musculoskeletal injury treatment and rehabilitation.
In the past Kathryn has worked as a personal trainer, yoga teacher, sports massage therapist and strapper for West Harbour Rugby Union club. She has also taught group exercise sessions involving yoga and pilates for many years.
For the past seven years, Kathryn has taught Sports Massage at the NSW School of Massage and also assists in teaching short courses to her physiotherapy peers.
Women’s health and pregnancy are of a current interest with the birth of her daughter last year. Kathryn is also an avid painter, completing a Bachelor of Fine Art (Hons) in 2007.
Alex Sherborne
B.Phty (UQ)
Physiotherapist
alex@cyberphys.com
Alex has moved to Sydney having worked extensively in Europe and establishing a large pilates-based physiotherapy pratice in Brisbane. He worked initially in the Mater Children's Hospital and later privately and closely with the University of Queensland training undergraduate and masters students from both Australia and overseas.
Alex is particularly interested in diagnostics and believes that if we can take the time to get the diagnosis right, then the treatment options become clear. He has post-graduate training in numerous areas and combines various techniques to individual requirements for optimum outcomes. Using the clinic's real-time ultrasound to see muscle imbalances is of even more interest to Alex.
Spinal problems are of particular interest, especially in adolescents, as are pre and post-operative rehabilitation.
Alex has played several sports at State level, worked in English Premier League Soccer and with the British Olympic team. He is also physiotherapist to several college basketball, rugby and soccer teams at present.
In the brief times that he isn't working, he has to tend to the needs of his large family, research antiques, struggle to learn French, swim laps and ponder why he didn't move to Sydney earlier.
Mike Blackwell
B.Sc (Phty)
Physiotherapist
mike@cyberphys.com
Mike graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2002. He has worked both in private practice and the public health system. Since graduating, Mike has also worked as an accident and emergency physiotherapist practitioner.
Mike has a passion for sports injuries and worked at the English Premier League Soccer team, Birmingham City - at academy level, for 2 years. It was here that Mike gained great experience in the assessment and treatment of non-operative and post-operative ankle, achilles tendon, knee, groin, hip and abdominal injuries.
As well as this, Mike also has a passion for postural problems - including neck and lower back pain.
In his spare time, Mike enjoys playing soccer, tennis and golf. He recently successfully completed the Anaconda Adventure Race in Forster, NSW. He is also a very keen supporter of Liverpool Football Club. Mike also enjoys music gigs and going to the movies.
Natasha Rai
B.Sc (Phty) (Hons)
Physiotherapist
natasha@cyberphys.com
Natasha graduated from the University of Birmingham, 1999. Since graduation, she has worked predominately in private practice. Natasha has trained with the Australian Physiotherapy Pilates Institute. Natasha also teaches at the Physiotherapy Coaching Academy Australia.
Natasha is experienced in treating lower back, pelvis, hip and shoulder pain. She also treats women during and after their pregnancy for pelvic pain and incontinence.
Natasha combines hands on treatment and exercise to facilitate recovery. She is trained in the use of Real Time Ultrasound to accurately assess how muscles of the pelvic floor, lower abdominal and hip are working. With this information she is able to formulate an individual exercise program to help pain, posture and core stability.
Natasha's own sporting background is in martial arts. The experience of recovering from her traumatic injuries helps her to relate to the pain and the challenges of returning to sport.
Clare Dingle
B.Sc (Phty) (Hons)
Physiotherapist
clare@cyberphys.com
Clare graduated from the University of East Anglia (UK) in 1995. She has worked in the NHS with specialist training in hand therapy and private practice in the UK. She has spent two winter ski seasons working at a Sports Clinic in the French Alps treating skiers and snow boarders for various injuries.
Since moving to Australia in 2001, she has worked predominantly in private practice including treating rugby and basketball teams. She has been with PPFC since 2004.
Clare has undertaken many post-graduate courses including Clinical Pilates, Acupuncture and Cranio-Sacral Therapy and uses these techniques to give a holistic approach to your physiotherapy treatment.
Clare has particular interest and expertise in treating neck pain and headaches, pelvis and spinal problems and lower limb injuries.
She also has an interest in treating pre and post-natal clients with hands-on physiotherapy and exercise prescription.
Clare teaches several of our Physiotherapy Gym Sessions (PGSs) and our post-natal "Mums and Bubs" exercise classes.
When not at the Clinic, Clare looks after her little girls and keeps fit with spin classes, pilates and swimming. Her other interests include photography and travel.